She Steps on the Scale...

by Joanne Camas

on 01/21/08 at 04:55 PM

Dieter's Diary: Day 20

I bit the bullet and stepped on the scale yesterday. The pointer swung back and forth, teasing me, then finally settled on a number. Okay, so it wasn't the number I was hoping for, but it was two pounds less than two weeks ago. I guess a pound a week is reasonable?

I know I haven't been exercising enough...weather's too cold, I'm too busy, I'll do it tomorrow...and I do plan to step things up on that front this week. Exercise is a vital part of the weight-loss and health equation, of course.

But apart from a couple of (admittedly delicious) lapses, I have been sticking to my loose plan of eating healthy food in moderation, and I do feel better for it. That, ultimately, will be my benchmark for success. Oh, and fitting into the well-worn pair of jeans that's calling my name from the closet.

* Do you think losing a pound a week is respectable? Should I be aiming to lose more?

A pound a week is great! Your body will be healthier in the long run if you aim for a gradual weight loss. The secret to losing weight and keeping it off is to change the way you live. You are clearly doing things right on the food end. Once you start working out more regularly and getting in shape then you will lose much more weight and your body will start to look better and better! Too much weight loss too fast can actually put a strain on your body! Also, gradual weight loss and excercise is what will help reduce cellulite! Congrats on your success!

anita1956
12:47:57 AM on
01/26/08

Okay, I don't want to be nitpicky here but I just want to comment on a comment about muscle being heavier than fat. One pound of fat weighs exactly the same as one pound of muscle. A pound is a pound, however just as one pound of cotton balls takes up more volume/space than one pound of lead weights, so too with fat and muscle. If you work out, you might weigh the same but because fat is being reduced and muscle is increasing, you can weigh the same but still be toning your body and looking like weight loss is happening. The other side bonus is that the more muscle, the more calorie burn. See. I told you it was nitpicky. Just in one of those moods I guess :)

Faitheliz
08:08:53 AM on
01/24/08

Really, the bottom line for me with weight loss and maintenance is "how do I feel"? I think that if you feel good about losing a pound a week, then thats what you should do. If you feel like its not enough, then step it up. Its all about control, dedication and the ability to give yourself a break now and then.

And while following a healthy diet is great, sometimes facing another bowl of whole wheat, flax seed, omega 3 pasta with a veggie puree (as I did last night :) is just enough to make you want to flee to the nearest pizza place. Give yourself a break once in awhile. Have a glass of wine and whatever it is you've been craving and call it a day. Go to the gym and burn it off later.

Its all about having a healthy relationship with food and yourself and realizing that in order to lose weight, you are forced to sacrifice....your favorite junk foods, your evening glass of wine, 45 extra minutes of sleep in the morning that you're now spending on an eliptical machine....whatever. My philosophy is to push hard and when you're really close to cracking open the bag of oreo's, make yourself something you really want and enjoy it.

meganos
03:49:26 PM on
01/23/08

I would also like to point out that muscle weighs more than fat, so Joanne--who, as she has reported--has increased her exercise lately, is quite right to be checking on things like how she feels, how her clothes fit, and the presence or absence of what she calls her "gobble." Keep at it, Joanne! And for those of you looking for non-salad recipes for lunch (I know how you feel--it's FREEZING in our office), check out Epi's latest Nutritious Dishes, which has soups and stews that are great for freezing in individual portions.

I've been thawing and eating healthy chili for weeks after one quick cooking session on a weekend.

anita1956
01:18:03 AM on
01/23/08

One pound a week is more than respectable, it's great!

However, What I will tell you is that the way I lost 140 pounds wasn't by keeping my eyes on the scales but by just eating healthy and doing something physical every day, day after day. I just focused my sight on the day before me rather than on the scales because those bathroom scales can make me nuts! I lose a lot and think I have room to have "a treat". I don't lose any and I get discouraged and eat. Everyone's different but it worked for me during all those months to just weigh once a month to minimize scale insanity.

m_lucia
08:24:23 PM on
01/22/08

My mum lost about a pound a week for a period, and fifty weeks later she was fifty pound lighter! Her loss varied from week to week (some weeks she lost more than others, but always was moving downward). The slow and steady strategy worked for her and she's kept it off for about 3 years now.

JoanneCamas
08:19:14 PM on
01/22/08

Strange though this may seem, I don't actually own a scale. I weighed myself on Sunday two weeks ago, and then on this Sunday, so it was two pounds in those two weeks.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm more concerned with how I feel and look than the actual scale number. That's not fudging: Since most of my surplus is centered firmly around my midriff -- the worst place, health-wise -- it's going to be obvious to me when that starts to go. So far I've noticed that I've lost my "gobble," as my son called excess neck, and I'm determined that the tummy will start to go next.

In the meantime I'm enjoying a lack of sugar swings and habit snacking, and plenty of new nutritious recipes. My overall health has to be benefiting.

cookshelly
07:36:14 PM on
01/22/08

Joanne...Any loss is good; but you are fudging, saying that you have lost 2 pounds in 2 weeks. As I add up the time, it has been three weeks. Diets always work easier in the beginning, and if you were really working on this, I know you should have lost a lot more. Sorry to bring you up short, but you need to be honest with yourself.
Keep trying, darling, but quit with the excuses.

monalisa86
07:25:48 PM on
01/22/08

A pound a week is certainly healthy -- sometimes you may lose more or less, but don't get discouraged. Focus on how you feel. I agree with other comments that discourage your from weighing everyday (despite the fact that I do it too). It really doesn't tell you much -- I think weekly is a more reasonable interval.

Congrats on your weight loss! It's soooo worth the effort!!

mgmenico
07:01:51 PM on
01/22/08

A big bravo to you! Loosing weight slowly is the best way. It's realistic, the body has a chance to adapt and it's healthy. The most important thing is that the scale pointer has gone down and that's the right direction. Keep up the good work. The body also takes a while to start loosing, so don't be surprised if you see more weight coming off in the next week. A momentum builds and the weight then begins to melt off.

mnatalie
04:26:14 PM on
01/22/08

Absolutely a lb/week is acceptable...In fact, it's what's recommended...you may have a big initial loss, but that is usually water weight...and you will fluctuate - that's normal, too...

don't listen to the poster who said you're not serious...as long as you are making and sticking to changes, you are

asarnow
04:19:57 PM on
01/22/08

Make sure that when you weigh yourself you're not carrying any pounds that aren't you, such as clothing or the food you've eaten that day. The morning before breakfast is usually the most accurate time; just don't get obsessed (and one to two pounds a week is nice and healthy - keep up the good work!).

sepina
01:15:20 PM on
01/22/08

Congrats on the weight loss, Joanne! I think a pound a week is great if you can keep it going. On the scale issue, I'm a fan of weighing every day so you can see more accurately what's going on, recognizing that your weight fluctuates for reasons outside your control. I'm wondering what you've been doing for lunches. I wish I craved a salad, but I never do since it's so damn cold this time of year. Does anyone have any suggestions on warm, healthy lunch ideas?

suzakel
11:55:06 AM on
01/22/08

Congratulations on your two pound weight loss!You've done this by improving your eating habits, and moving a little more.
I do not think you should be a slave to the scale. Weigh in once a week, at the same time of day, with the same amount of clothing on.
If you want to lose the weight more slowly you can do that by burning more calories or consuming fewer calories, but if you're seeing results doing what you're doing, and you're happy, then I don't think you should invite unwanted pressure from others to lose it more quickly.
You will be more likely to keep off the weight by losing it slowly and changing your habits. If you can (and you already you know you should) incorporate more exercise that will only help you in the long run.
Keep up the good work!

Faitheliz
11:53:43 AM on
01/22/08

A pound a week is good....but i like 2 pounds a week. Not a whole lot more effort but far more measurable at the end of the month. Lets face it...4 pounds a month is not going to make enough of a difference to get me into my "skinny jeans". I dropped about 12 pounds this past spring in about 6-8 weeks (which made such a difference that I pretty much had to buy a new wardrobe) and have kept it off by eating mainly fruit, veggies and fish and exercising regularly.
In terms of exercise, I would NOT start out trying to exercise every day. You'll get bored, sore and tired and come up with excuses to not do it. Try every other day and give your muscles a chance to rest in between.

JoanneCamas
08:45:04 AM on
01/22/08

Thanks again for the encouragement -- and the nudges to do better. After I wrote yesterday's post, I actually bundled up and took my sons to the park. They played football and I played tennis off the racquetball wall. It was so cold that my face was aching...but then the pain subsided into a rubbery, sensationless feeling and I kept going. Ah, the joys of winter! I exercised for 40 minutes or so, and it felt good! Will do my best to exercise every day this week.

chavifeldman
08:27:45 AM on
01/22/08

Losing weight is a bitch :) I lost over 50 pounds seven years ago and through no small miracle, have kept it off. I did the Suzanne Somers diet (who'd have thought the queen of the thighmaster could sell a diet that works??) and it worked for me. The one thing she wrote was not to get frustrated when the weight wasn't coming off - no kidding - it took me almost three weeks before I lost my first pound. Talk about throwing in the towel. But I persevered and after about a month, I noticed a slow but steady loss of about a pound to a pound and a half per week. Every fifteen pounds or so, I plateaued for endless weeks and was practically tearing my hair out. But at the end of eight months, I had gone down fifty-two pounds and went from a size 14/16 dress to a fantastical size 8. I think that there are so many times that your body just doesn't do what we want it to do no matter how hard we're trying. Sometimes, it's a physical thing, sometimes a psychological thing and we just have to keep our chins up, keep up our gym memberships and keep away from too much sugars. If we do that, eventually we'll get to where we need to go. And once we get there, the work in staying there isn't a piece of cake either. Maintaining my weight for the last seven years is a constant effort. I'm not saying that I don't eat well or don't enjoy the food I'm putting in my mouth - it's just that if you've been where I was seven years ago and you've successfully lost weight, you're never really able to eat food without thinking twice about what you're putting in your mouth. The key is to be watchful, but not to completely deny yourself the odd and infrequent sweet. Good luck out there to all you dieters. It really is worth it in the end!

yehudisg
07:51:09 AM on
01/22/08

I recommend not weighing in more than once a month, at a consistent place in your monthly cycle if that's applicable so that you take into account the normal feminine ebb and flow of water retention. So a "month" would really mean a cycle.
I think a pound a week is great--that's 2k a month or so. What's the rush? You want to drop pounds quickly, or you want to change your habits for the long term? Usually, the first month or two of weight loss will be greater just because of the water loss. It's into and after the second month that it slows into a more normal pattern. When I took off my weight, I remember that I plateaued for about three months at one point--my food remained exactly the same, but my weight loss stopped completely. Then it picked up again. If you're in it for the long term, you have to be very patient.
Wishing you success,
Yehudis

play_with_food
06:41:50 AM on
01/22/08

A pound a week is a good weight loss, particularly for a woman. You are doing great, and it is the permanent change to healthy eating that is the most important. It does no good to lose weight on a diet that you can't stick with, what you need is a "live-it" dietary change!

sarahkagan
11:04:08 PM on
01/21/08

Hey Joanne. 6 years ago I lost 20 pounds pretty quickly--about 3 pounds a week--and by 2 years later I had put every pound back on, plus 10. Last year, I lost 15 pounds slowly--about a pound a week and sometimes less. I put a few pounds back on during the holidays, but I'm now losing again. I think 1-2 pounds a week is definitely the way to go--it's that kind of weight loss that stays off, because it involves lifestyle changes that are MAINTAINABLE, rather than drastic changes that you'll just give up once you lose the weight. The goal is to eat in a healthy, sensible manner, PERMANENTLY, and that's much more likely to happen if you make small changes that just become habit than if you torture yourself by being too strict. So, ignore the people who tell you you're not serious and just keep up the good work. I advise weighing yourself once a week only and not obsessing over the numbers but rather focusing on the goals that you're setting for yourself. As long as you keep putting in effort and reaching a good number of your goals, before too long I know you'll be in those jeans!

olivefingers
09:24:49 PM on
01/21/08

A pound a week is healthy! Any faster than two pounds a week is unhealthy and could be the kind of loss which yo-yos back on. I am in the same place with my try to be healthier, and it is slow but...I like to think changing my ways bit by bit over the long term will become habits that add up to a longterm slimmer me. Changing yourself for the better takes more than instant fixes.

fotogirl63
08:40:25 PM on
01/21/08

Yes, a pound a week is good and healthy! Keep fighting the good fight.

cookshelly
08:39:55 PM on
01/21/08

If you are serious, you would be losing more than a pound a week. Sorry, love, but you are not serious yet!

theetruscan
06:21:37 PM on
01/21/08

A pound a week is much better than not a pound a week. But, as I understand it, day to day there's a fair bit of weight fluctuation. You should weigh yourself daily and see a downward trend. You may have realistically lost nothing, and weighed on a light day, or lost more and weighed on a heavy day. Exercising here is killing me. It was -9C today and my morning bike ride kicked my ass.

leleboo
06:19:39 PM on
01/21/08

A pound a week is both reasonable and healthy! Losing weight slowly and steadily may not be as exciting as a quick fix, but weight lost in a healthy manner is far more likely to come off and stay off. Keep up the good work! :)